TEDTalks by OperaDelaware Staff
Why opera is less pretentious than you might think (2022)
Opera is so much more than Viking horns and Valhalla. The traditional way that we talk about opera leads to gatekeeping and has limited our ability to see all that opera can mean to a community. Without joyful advocacy, opera's reputation for elitism and exclusivity will continue to drive away curious audiences. In this TEDxOldHickory talk, former opera singer and eternal Opera Hype Girl, Kerriann Otaño, talks about audience and artist advocacy through the power of authenticity.
Opera in Unlikely places (2017)
In this collaborative talk, Brendan Cooke summarizes the current state of opera in modern culture. He contrasts it with the impact the art form is having after Opera Delaware's collaboration with Nemours. Dr. Paul Rosen provides anecdotes of the improved wellbeing of Nemours patients. The talk ends with a performance by Tim Mix and Aurelien Eulert.
Delaware, home of single-A baseball and AAA Opera (2015)
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Brendan Cooke was appointed General Director of OperaDelaware, America's 11th oldest opera company, in June 2012. Cooke joined OperaDelaware from the Baltimore Concert Opera, a company he founded in 2008 in response to the collapse of the Baltimore Opera Company.